No message from Rahul Gandhi, says Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said Rahul Gandhi conveyed no political message during their brief interaction and only asked the state government to continue its work. He dismissed speculation linking the meeting to the ongoing power tussle in the state

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday clarified that there is no message from Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi, as being reported in the media, and that the latter has only asked the state government to continue the good work.

Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, played down speculation regarding his social media post which read “efforts may fail, but prayers won’t”, linking it with his brief conversation with Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday evening.

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Rahul Gandhi’s brief conversation with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and his deputy and a claimant for the CM’s chair, D K Shivakumar, on Tuesday evening has sparked speculation, amid the ongoing power tussle between the two.

“I’m the state Congress president, he (Rahul Gandhi) is the leader of opposition (in Lok Sabha), he was also earlier the Congress president. Can our meeting with him, discussions with him, giving respect to him and receiving him as per protocol be discussed in public? You (media), unnecessarily quoting someone off the record, are creating confusion and are destroying the respect your TV channels have,” Shivakumar said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he insisted, “There is no message, we met him (Rahul Gandhi). He asked us to continue working in a good way, we will work in a good way. We have informed him about programmes we have planned regarding MGNREGA (Save MGNREGA campaign) in the state. We have also discussed BJP’s politics in the state.”

Asked whether anything was discussed with Rahul Gandhi that cannot be shared on record with the media, the KPCC chief said, “there is no such thing with me, always it is on record with me.”

The short talk between the leaders took place on the tarmac on Tuesday, as Rahul Gandhi landed at the Mandakalli Airport here for transit, on his way back to New Delhi from Gudalur in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, where he attended an event.

The former AICC president had brief conversations with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, both separately and together.

Asked about his social media post stating “efforts may fail, but prayers won’t”, the Deputy CM said it is not something new and that he has made this statement in the past too.

“Recently, I had been to Udyami Vokkaliga-FC Expo 2025, an entrepreneurial extravaganza dedicated to fostering the growth and success of Vokkaliga enterprises. There I had told them this while sharing my experience, and the same has been tweeted,” he clarified.

Shivakumar said that he will be going to New Delhi on January 16.

According to party sources, Shivakumar will be in the national capital to take part in a preparatory meeting in connection with the Assembly elections in Assam, for which he has been appointed as a senior observer by the Congress.